Thursday, December 10, 2015

One of Halifax's best contributions to the Canadian music scene over the past decade and a half has been Joel Plaskett who continues to go under the radar but churn out infectious, alluring singer-songwriter rock with healthy doses of unabashed fun spliced into the honest, well-worn emotional landscapes discovered in his lyrical subject matters.

Give me an artist and I'll give you someone whose first name starts with the other's last name. Confused yet? It's like six degrees of separation almost. Pick an artist- ie like Billy Joel in this part 1- and then follow it up with Joel Plaskett. Of course this one isn't a continuous chain link but one that just applies to a pairing of songs. And yes that's the theme for the 7th episode of 2015 for the Sound & Groove Podcast. So sit back and soak in another musical journey through yet another themed podcast for your listening enjoyment, the 60th time I've unleashed a podcast on the public.

If you have been keeping up with S&G on Music of Evan's Mind, there is now a new host for this podcast on www.notthepublicbroadcaster.com. And
if you're new to this podcast, here's the breakdown: Every month there will be a theme that
the selection of music is centered around. It will be jam packed with my
analysis, synopsis, anecdotes and other witticisms you
might enjoy while I play edited versions of each tune (to make room for
talk and for a good 7-9 songs per 45 minute episode). And not to worry,
each month will contain a different theme than the last. Got it? Get it?
Good. Happy listening to you all!

All
comments, questions and feedback are greatly welcomed and appreciated! I
encourage participation. Even though I drain an hour off your life by
listening to the podcast then checking through the links, at least you
don't have to fork over your money to me... though if you feel like, you
know... But in all seriousness, let me now what you'd like to hear or
see and I'll consider it. Popular approval doesn't always sway me but
having fans or listeners get their input would be just grand!

Sunday, November 22, 2015

If you're wondering where the last 6 episodes of 2016 are, well I had 4 of them ready to finish off and 2 in planning stages. But then the computer I had them on went a little screen-dead. So at this point I have to retrieve the files and transfer them over to a computer I can fit garageband on. And I intend to have that figured out by the end of this month. Then I plan to release the 4 in December and then give you the next two in January. After that, S&G will become bi-monthly for 2016 and you can see each one of the new episodes either on here or a new site I am partnered with now called www.notthepublicbroadcaster.com. Thanks for the patience!
Evan

Monday, August 17, 2015

Ryan Adams, often derided for his sometimes standoffish behaviour and arrogance but often praised for his significant songwriting acumen. Since debuting in the mid-90s with his rootsy, thrilling alt-country group Whiskeytown, he has attracted criticism both good and bad but musically it has mostly been good- especially to yours truly. Adams went solo as the millennium dawned, illiciting critical acclaim with Heartbreaker (2000). Mixed reviews often followed his albums to come but those who enjoyed his work extolled his virtues to the moon, insisting he was a modern day singer-songwriter genius. Meanwhile his doubters pointed out his reveling in music's past as too much of a classicist, all the while trying to recreate those sounds of yore and insert himself into the popular lexicon/vocabulary of classic rock and country. After his debut he proceeded to put out records at a dizzying pace not seen since the 60s and 70s heydays when artists were expected to produce at least 1 LP a year but the best ones were demanded by their record companies to churn out at least two. Even on his weaker albums there were plenty of incredible songs. One of his most recent standout cuts from his 2014 self-titled release- his 14th studio album in 14 years to go along with a handful of EPs- is here on part 2 of the double trouble music theme here on S&G Podcast.

Don't you just hate it when there are so many songs with the same title to to the point it gets confusing as to which song is which, which are covers and which artists did them? How many more times can we withstand an artist releasing a song titled the oh so unoriginal "Hold on"? Well here on the Sound & Groove Podcast, we decided to have fun with that by putting out 2 episodes (this being the 2nd of them) using that theme of doubling up on songs that share titles. No cover versions required! It's just one song of a certain title- picked somewhat arbitrarily I have to admit- followed by another of the same.

So sit back and soak in another musical journey through yet another themed podcast for your listening enjoyment. And if you're new to this podcast: Every month there will be a theme that the selection of music is centered around. It will be jam packed with my analysis, synopses, breakdowns, anecdotes and other witticisms you might enjoy while I play edited versions of each tune (to make room for talk and for a good 8-9 songs per 45 minute episode). And not to worry, each month will contain a different theme than the last. Got it? Get it? Good. Happy listening to you all!

All comments, questions and feedback are greatly welcomed and appreciated! I encourage participation. Even though I drain an hour off your life by listening to the podcast then checking through the links, at least you don't have to fork over your money to me... though if you feel like, you know... But in all seriousness, let me now what you'd like to hear or see and I'll consider it. Popular approval doesn't always sway me but having fans or listeners get their input would be just grand!

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Randy Newman once upon a time was highly regarded as one of America's greatest songwriters. Though he was quick to provide a fantastic score or arrangement on strings or piano, he was just as vibrant at sardonic, biting wit within songs that portrayed characters from all walks of life- mainly the creepy, sleazy and misunderstood walks. His ability to synthesize a take-no-prisoners humour (that would have met with even more resistance in a modern PC world) with touching pathos every now and again resulted in a string of classic albums- particularly from his 1968 self-titled debut up to 1974's Good Old Boys. Afterward he struggled to ever hit the same heights but still provided enjoyment every LP out even as the characters he featured in his songs became more and more racist, bigoted and immoral. Now primarily a writer of Hollywood movie soundtracks/scores- in the grand tradition of his extended family- he still is seen in music critic circles as the top purveyor of old style American music that owed as much to Hoagy Carmichael or Stephen Foster as it did Fats Domino or Professor Longhair. One of his true legendary opus recordings is featured in this particular S&G Podcast episode.

Don't you just hate it when there are so many songs with the same title to to the point it gets confusing as to which song is which, which are covers and which artists did them? How many more times can we withstand an artist releasing a song titled the oh so unoriginal "Hold on"? Well here on the Sound & Groove Podcast, we decided to have fun with that by putting out 2 episodes (this being the first of them) using that theme of doubling up on songs that share titles. No cover versions required! It's just one song of a certain title- picked somewhat arbitrarily I have to admit- followed by another of the same.

So sit back and soak in another musical journey through yet another themed podcast for your listening enjoyment. And if you're new to this podcast: Every month there will be a theme that the selection of music is centered around. It will be jam packed with my analysis, synopses, breakdowns, anecdotes and other witticisms you might enjoy while I play edited versions of each tune (to make room for talk and for a good 8-9 songs per 45 minute episode). And not to worry, each month will contain a different theme than the last. Got it? Get it? Good. Happy listening to you all!

All comments, questions and feedback are greatly welcomed and appreciated! I encourage participation. Even though I drain an hour off your life by listening to the podcast then checking through the links, at least you don't have to fork over your money to me... though if you feel like, you know... But in all seriousness, let me now what you'd like to hear or see and I'll consider it. Popular approval doesn't always sway me but having fans or listeners get their input would be just grand!

Thursday, July 23, 2015

King Sunny Ade has made a long, respected career out of bringing his Nigerian musical roots to the world stage. Born into a royal family, Ade has nonetheless gone a different direction than his privileged status would expect him to. Along with several other singers from all over Africa he helped bring attention to the thrilling, organic sounds of the Third World- a burgeoning subset of record collectors that hit the mainstream when Western artists such as Talking Heads, Peter Gabriel but especially Paul Simon began incorporating it into their own works in the 1980s.

There are artists from all over the world who've made their dent internationally and not only singing in that language that us in the West are fortunate is the current common tongue spoken: English (but watch out for when the Chinese take over!) but also in their native tongues. A mix of both is the focus of this, the 4th of 12 podcasts in 2015 from yours truly Evan Dowbiggin. From France to Nigeria to Switzerland to Senegal to Iceland to Holland, it's a potpourri of sounds for your virgin North American ears ;)

So sit back and soak in another musical journey through yet another themed podcast for your listening enjoyment. And if you're new to this podcast: Every month there will be a theme that the selection of music is centered around. It will be jam packed with my analysis, synopses, breakdowns, anecdotes and other witticisms you might enjoy while I play edited versions of each tune (to make room for talk and for a good 8-9 songs per 45 minute episode). And not to worry, each month will contain a different theme than the last. Got it? Get it? Good. Happy listening to you all!

All comments, questions and feedback are greatly welcomed and appreciated! I encourage participation. Even though I drain an hour off your life by listening to the podcast then checking through the links, at least you don't have to fork over your money to me... though if you feel like, you know... But in all seriousness, let me now what you'd like to hear or see and I'll consider it. Popular approval doesn't always sway me but having fans or listeners get their input would be just grand!